What are the barriers to making flexible working work in the workplace?

What are the barriers to making flexible working work in the workplace? How can HR help?

John Preston, Executive Shift Trustee will lead a discussion on the barriers to flexible working. Are policy or regulatory interventions required, or is it more about culture and attitudes? Designed to help those HR professionals responsible for formulating and implementing flexible working strategy, our web panel of John Preston, Sally Bridgeland, Jenny Ockwell and Sarah Fuell will help trouble-shoot your problems and discuss the challenges which you face.

John Preston
John Preston is a non-executive director and trustee. He was a partner at PwC for many years where his roles included COO and head of people for a key part of the business which needed flexibility in its working arrangements. He was also diversity champion for many years and has always believed flexible working is a fundamental element in promoting greater inclusion in both the workplace and society.

Climate change poses clear and material risks to real estate assets with the potential to impact return profiles. Real estate investing has historically lacked the appropriate tools to allow investors to assess their exposure to climate risk and to integrate it effectively in their investment strategies.

To help address this gap, FTSE Russell developed the FTSE EPRA Nareit Green Indexes to allow investors to identify real estate companies with strong sustainability performance. These indexes are a sustainability-focused extension to the FTSE EPRA Nareit Global Real Estate Index Series, a leading series of listed real estate benchmarks with approximately US$341billion of assets tracking this series.*

* Data as of December 31, 2017 as reported on April 2, 2018 by eVestment for institutional assets, Morningstar for retail mutual funds, insurance products, and ETFs, and additional passive assets directly collected by FTSE Russell.

· Listed Real Estate market trends in Developed markets, specifically Europe and North America
· Facing the sustainable real estate challenge – what is important to know
· The world’s largest asset class – addressing the investment data gaps
· Real Estate Indexes have the ‘green’ light - case for integrating sustainability considerations in Real Estate benchmarks
· Building for a green economy future – where to from here
· Q&A from the audience

Three years ago, the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a global call to action for positive change. Ever since, the global investment community has become increasingly eager to achieve some kind of “SDG alignment”.

Near the anniversary of the establishment of the SDGs, this RI/ISS-ESG webinar provides an overview of how impact investing connects to the SDGs, and how investors are measuring effectiveness.

- What drives investors to choose the SDGs as a framework for investing and how are they approaching this?

- What tools are available to identify and measure companies’ contributing to the SDGs? Should SDG investments be focusing on products & services or on companies’ operations?

- What are the challenges to investing in the SDGs? Are the SDG even investable in mainstream investment, given the fact that many of the SDGs and targeting problems in emerging markets that are probably rather solved by modest projects rather than large listed corporates?

- Is there a risk of SDG-washing and sticking SDG labels on existing mainstream investments? How can this be prevented?

Lending books are arguably where the rubber hits the road for originating sustainable projects, but how do banks and other lenders identify ESG risks in loan books, and stimulate opportunities to lend to sustainable projects?

In this sessions, our experts will discuss a number of initiatives that have been started to address mortgage lending, price adjustments and assessing risk exposure.

Speakers confirmed:

Jakob Thomä, Director, 2° Investing Initiative

Florence Palandri, Climate Finance Analyst, 2° Investing Initiative

Roland Mees, Director of Sustainable Finance, ING Bank

Luca Bertalot, Secretary General of European Mortgage Federation, European Covered Bond Council

A growing number of investors are screening out companies from lending portfolios because of exposure to climate change and other sustainability risks, but sovereign portfolios are often not assessed in the same way. This webinar looks at why: how serious are the sovereign default risks arising from ESG, how can they be quantified, and do investors have a responsibility to engage with governments on policy through bond buying?

A successful ESG stewardship strategy requires investors to proactively address ESG risks in their portfolios. Over the last three years, climate change has become a top ESG shareholder proposal issue. Many shareholder proponents encourage companies to align their reporting with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, set GHG emission reduction targets, conduct 2°C scenario analyses and disclose on climate impact. However, the percentage of companies providing such disclosures remains generally very low.

This webinar gives an overview of emerging climate change topics from the 2018 proxy season and how investors can proactively identify climate-related risks and opportunities in their portfolios.

- What are the takeaways from the 2018 proxy season and Climate Week NYC 2018?

- Are we any closer to meaningful scenario analysis?

- How is data developing to help investors capture physical climate risk?

- Where are we at with TCFD reporting?

- How important is collaboration on these issues, through things like ClimateAction100+?

Hear from the UN body that is evolving the SDGs 3 years on, on the Ethical Finance 2018 conference pre-event webinar.

Ahead of the Ethical Finance 2018 conference on October 22/23 in Edinburgh, meet the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the lead UN development agency for implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with governments.

The UNDP is a supporting partner for the Ethical Finance 2018 Conference, along with the UK and Scottish governments.

On this webinar, Responsible Investor's Managing Editor will talk to Gail Hurley, UNDP Policy Specialist for Development Finance, about the work the UNDP is doing on driving the SDGs with policy makers, and about how they see the role of investors within that.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to put your questions to UNDP about the evolution of the world’s biggest sustainability initiative!

It’s time to recognize the ‘elephant in the room’: A corporate, a data provider, an asset owner and an investment manager talk ‘elephants’

Corporate: How is the production of ESG data evolving at the corporate level: what’s required, what’s optional, what’s the quality like and how is it changing?

Thomson Reuters: What data are clients seeking? How ESG data is filtered, aggregated and scored, and based on what standards and definitions. How can data gaps be overcome? Examples of current interesting investment-relevant data.

Asset Owner and Asset Manager: How are portfolio managers translating ESG research data into investment decisions: what’s working and what needs improving?

One year after the launch of the final report of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), hundreds of organisations are working on disclosing climate-related financial information, and a myriad of resources are being developed to support them in the process.

In May, the TCFD and CDSB launched the TCFD Knowledge Hub, the first online platform dedicated to the latest resources, tools and insights on the recommendations. This webinar will provide an overview of the platform and help organisations:
• Understand how the Hub can help you find the right resources to disclose according to the TCFD recommendations;
• Find out more about some of the key resources currently available on the website;
• Understand how your experience can be shared on the platform to help others improve their reporting practices.

Managing risk on two sides: The unique challenges of integrating ESG for the insurance industry

【How ESG factors are influencing risk assessments: climate change, capital modelling and extreme events】
· How are recent weather-related events, which are being linked to climate change, changing insurance pricing, coverage and market sentiment? Are ‘extreme’ events no longer so extreme?
· What are the major ESG factors now that are influencing underwriting and capital provision at insurers?
· Tightening regulation on ESG issues and its impact on the insurance industry.
· Is the historical data available to utilise ESG factors as a performance predictor or gauge of risk quality?
· The development of new ESG risk-specific insurance products. Differences in the above trends globally.

【Divestment, investment and the move to ESG benchmarking】
· Why are insurers getting on the front foot around divestment in areas such as coal or tobacco?
· Insurers as investors: how this asset owner sector is shaping its long-term allocations with ESG factors in mind.
· What are the investment tools insurers are using to do so?

Responsible Investor is proud to present a series of three webinars focused on European sustainable investment policy in the context of the High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance (HLEG) and the stated objectives of EU Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis.

This is a crucial time for EU policy on ESG. But how will it affect you… and your clients?

There is also a plan to create a common language and classification system for sustainable investments. This ‘taxonomy’ will impact the investment landscape and could foster the construction of green portfolios: but what will it look like and who will oversee it?

Speakers:
- Eila Kreivi, Head of Capital Markets, European Investment Bank
- Yao Wang, Professor and Director General, International Institute of Green Finance, Deputy Secretary General of Green Finance, Green Finance Committee of China Society for Finance and Banking
- David Harris, Group Head of Sustainable Business, London Stock Exchange Group, Head of Sustainable Investment, FTSE Russell

• The EU High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance (HLEG)
• The European Commission’s policy objectives

Responsible Investor is proud to present a series of three webinars focused on European sustainable investment policy in the context of the High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance (HLEG) and the stated objectives of EU Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis.

This is a crucial time for EU policy on ESG. But how will it affect you… and your clients?

The most controversial idea that has been floated is for banks to get lower capital charges if they invest in green projects and companies. This throws up a lot of questions, not least the role of securitisation and the broader implications for responsible investment.

• The EU High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance (HLEG)
• The European Commission’s policy objectives

Responsible Investor is proud to present a series of three webinars focused on European sustainable investment policy in the context of the High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance (HLEG) and the stated objectives of EU Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis.

This is a crucial time for EU policy on ESG. But how will it affect you… and your clients?

Mandates are the anchors of the investment chain and the European Commission is proposing to integrate sustainability into the duties of asset managers. This presents a pivotal moment for ESG and we will drill down into all the implications. What would a pan-European set of investor duties mean in practice – and is it even possible?

Join this one hour webinar discussing the complexities of PRI signatory reporting and emerging trends investors should consider in fulfilling client mandates and meeting their active ownership responsibilities.

This webinar will discuss ESG integration into passive investing and smart beta strategies. The world of index-based investing is in flux as ESG integration into passive is on course to become the norm for new mandates as we enter the era of “Smart Sustainability”.

Flexecutives anonymous. For Flexecutives with Sally Bridgeland and the Executive Shift panel.
If you’re a flexecutive, join Sally Bridgeland in an ”agony aunt” session to discuss your personal dilemmas and challenges. We’ll help you “come out” as a flexecutive and become a role model for others around you.

Sally Bridgeland
Sally founded Executive Shift at about the time she was named by Timewise as one of their 2013 Power Part Timers. She was the first group leader at BP to work part-time when she joined them in 2008, working a three-day equivalent week as the Chief Executive Officer of their UK pension fund. She now has a portfolio of directorships and trusteeships and a teenage son. She lives in Dulwich and works in a variety of offices, trains and cafes.

Dispelling the myths about flexible working. For Flexangels with Jenny Ockwell and the Executive Shift panel.

Jenny Ockwell, Executive Shift Trustee, diversity and flexible working enthusiast will draw on her experience working in asset management organisations to do some myth-busting about working flexibly. Do join us to add some of your own and discuss the practical steps that you can take to lay them to rest.

Jenny Ockwell
Jenny has worked full-time, but flexibly, in a number of asset management companies over her 20 year career in the city. She is a member of the Diversity Project’s (www.diversityproject.com) Advisory Board and ‘owner’ of the DP Flexible Working steering committee. She lives in a small town in the smallest county in the UK and is married with 2 wonderful (but exhausting!) autistic boys.

Lessons learned from return to work programmes: what can everyone do differently? For Flexperts and their advisers with Sarah Fuell and the Executive Shift panel.

Sarah Fuell, popular speaker from the Executive Shift Flexangels breakfast series draws on her experience of return to work programmes to illustrate how different organisations do things differently and highlight things which could be done to make them more effective.

Sarah Fuell
Sarah has had an extensive and broad career in the Financial Markets spanning 30 years within Tier 1 Investment Banking, predominately in Europe and Asia. She has solid experience of trading, regulatory, technological, operational and technical aspects of ever changing markets. After a break from the financial markets Sarah completed the Credit Suisse Return to Work Program in 2015 and the JPMorgan ReEntry Program in 2016. This lead her to establish 'The Working Company', a consultancy company that focuses on career coaching for those wishing to return to the workforce after a career break and for companies looking to develop their own 'Return Programmes’.

What are the barriers to making flexible working work in the workplace? How can HR help?

John Preston, Executive Shift Trustee will lead a discussion on the barriers to flexible working. Are policy or regulatory interventions required, or is it more about culture and attitudes? Designed to help those HR professionals responsible for formulating and implementing flexible working strategy, our web panel of John Preston, Sally Bridgeland, Jenny Ockwell and Sarah Fuell will help trouble-shoot your problems and discuss the challenges which you face.

John Preston
John Preston is a non-executive director and trustee. He was a partner at PwC for many years where his roles included COO and head of people for a key part of the business which needed flexibility in its working arrangements. He was also diversity champion for many years and has always believed flexible working is a fundamental element in promoting greater inclusion in both the workplace and society.

From the publishers of Responsible-Investor.com, the RI Webinars channel focuses on responsible investing, ESG and sustainable finance for institutional investors and companies. We also produce a number of industry leading in-person events including: RI Europe (London), RI Americas (New York) and RI Asia (Tokyo)